Growing Pains
by Otsuge
Summary: As everyone grows older, they leave behind their childhood, their innocence, their imagination, and sometimes their happiness. A reflection from many character's POVs. T for some suggestive themes and yeah...enjoy!   -


**A/N; So I thought up this story after hearing this long forgotten song on my iPod. It's called Wonders of the Younger by the Plain White T's. The first time I heard this song, I almost started crying. So, I decided, Hey! Why not write a story about it. I may emotionally kill you, with this, but I regret nothing! So without further ado!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, or the song I mentioned earlier<strong>

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><p>~Red~<p>

It was the first time in months the boy had visited his home when coming down from Mt. Silver. He couldn't quite say that he expected a welcome back party, but he at least expected to be acknowledged. But his mother was too busy arguing with some man to notice him walking through the door. The boy decided it was rude to just leave without saying goodbye so he shuffled up stairs to his room.

Throwing his bag on the ground, he flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes tightly trying to block out the arguing. He'd gotten the feeling this was the new step dad his mom told him about once.

He turned onto his side and relaxed a little, wishing he could go back to how things used to be. When he would come home after being gone for a couple months and his mother would welcome him warmly and give him those freshly baked chocolate chip cookies he loved oh so much. And then she'd give him a big hug. He thought it was embarrassing and suffocating then, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he would give almost anything to have his mom give him a crushing bear hug once more.

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><p>~Green~<p>

The auburn haired boy slumped back into his chair and threw his arms back in frustration. He groaned while sitting upright in his chair again and continued his research paper he was currently working on. 'Why am I even doing this?' he wondered to himself. He'd thrown himself into his work lately to distract himself from his own loneliness, trying to convince himself that his current research topic was the most fascinating thing in the world, but to no avail.

He scrolled through his phone contacts stopping at one particular name. Red. The boy stared blankly at the name for a few moments before standing up from his chair to get himself a much needed pot of coffee. Glancing at his phone again, he became overwhelmed with anger and chucked his own phone at the wall, watching it shatter to pieces just like his friendship.

The auburn haired boy leaned against the wall for support but his legs caved in making him fall to the floor. He put his head in his hands and couldn't help the trembling. He regretted getting mad at Red so many times. If he hadn't been such an obnoxious kid, he would have at least had one person to call his friend.

The boy drowned his loneliness and regret in a large bottle of gin. He wasn't one to drink much, but he needed to forget somehow. However, the only thing he ended up forgetting was his research paper he was supposed to be working on.

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><p>~Blue~<p>

The very beautiful girl strutted down the street in a short black dress and red pumps. Getting an occasional whistle from a passerby and winking at them to return the gesture. She gave a gentle toss of her hair as she continued to walk down the street towards the mall. A couple boys had even given her their phone numbers, but while they weren't noticing, she took their wallets. She figured she could put the money towards a much needed shopping trip.

As she was trying on clothes in a high class department store, she looked in the mirror. She frowned 'what have I become?' she asked herself as she continued to stare at her reflection. On the verge of an emotional breakdown, she hurried back into her clothes, but it wasn't so easy getting changed. "Curse these damn clothes!" she yelled in a frustrated tone, ripping her dress in the process. "Great. Just great," she muttered as she sat down on the dressing room floor, beginning her emotional breakdown.

She remembered back when she was a little kid and she never had to worry about looking hot for all of the boys. She was still an innocent child. The only things she cried over were scraped knees and bruises, not boys and lies. Then she turned at the sound of a knock on the dressing room door. "Are you alright miss?" the employee asked politely.

She mustered up everything she could to keep her voice from cracking as she replied. "I'm fine," she smiled, "just fine."

That was a lie.

She sighed in relief as she heard the woman leave and continued her emotional breakdown in the middle of a department store dressing room. "Look at me," she said to no one in particular, "I'm pathetic," she said while staring into her reflection, eying the mascara that ran down her cheeks and continuing her sobbing.

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><p>~Yellow~<p>

The small girl was making quick brush strokes on her canvas and continued dipping her paintbrush into the assorted colors on her palette. Her eyes were blank and cloudy as she painted the scenery that lay in front of her.

She was sitting in front of her window painting the Pikachu contently napping in front of the windowsill as rain pelted the window. She sighed. It just didn't…feel right anymore. She was missing something. Something incredibly important.

She set her paintbrush down and sat next to her pokémon stroking it softly. "I just don't know what to do anymore," she whispered. She was incredibly stressed. She was finally discovered as an artist, but she wasn't as happy as she thought she'd be. She didn't like the idea of painting for someone else like she did now. What she was doing was trying to please others. That's what the gallery owner said to do. He told her often that she must think of ways to please the spectators. She frowned at the thought of this, wishing she could regain her inspiration she once had.

She let out a long sigh as she got up and sat back down in front of the canvas and continued her work. She would rather be drawing stick figures like a 4-year-old if it would hold more meaning than what she was doing now. And with that she picked up her paintbrush and dipped it in red, then put a big X mark through her painting.

Looking more satisfied, she decided this was what she would give to the gallery owner instead of some lifeless portrait that held no meaning.

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><p>~Crystal~<p>

She drew in a quick breathe as she got a towel to stop the bleeding. After cleaning up the mess, she put everything back in the bathroom cabinet and locked it shut. She returned to the laboratory and kept doing paperwork for the Professor.

As she was writing down some report, her wrists began to itch. Removing the wristbands to scratch them, she saw all of the scars and cuts. A couple tears streamed down her face and she turned back to filing reports.

She couldn't help but reminisce about the times when the only cuts she got were from falling. She would give all of the knowledge in the world to be happy again. 'After all, ignorance is bliss' she thought to herself.

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><p>~Gold~<p>

He casually shrugged it off as he was rejected by yet another girl and strolled into the local bar. "Give me the strongest thing you got," he smiled to the bartender.

"Rough day?" the man asked.

"You could say that," he chuckled back. 'More like a rough life' he thought to himself. He smiled when his drink arrived and chugged it down in a matter of seconds. It didn't take long before he was already on his 8th drink and could barely speak correctly let alone stand. But that was just what he wanted. He just wanted to forget everything.

A sad song came on the radio that was familiar to the golden eyed boy. "C-could ya turn it up?" he asked with his words slurred.

The bartender only smiling while doing what he was asked.

He recognized the song. It was about all of the things in people's childhood that we all seem to leave behind. If you listened to the lyrics closely, it was the type of song that could bring a grown man to tears. Gold began singing along to the song while in his drunken stupor.

While singing along he couldn't help but miss the time when the only drug he knew was the icky grape medicine he had to take when he was sick.

The boy continued singing and dancing around, more like stumbling, throughout the bar by himself, not caring about the people staring at him.

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><p>~Silver~<p>

The boy was curled up in a corner, rocking back and forth, listening to his music blaring in his ears.

All he could do was try to block out the approaching sadness that neared him. He was not allowed to cry. His father refused to allow him to be in such a vulnerable state. Even if the boy cried in silence, his father still knew, so it was best to not cry at all. But it was just so hard.

Any other person would be bawling their eyes out if they were remembering their entire childhood and all of the things they missed out that every other child had.

He was never read stories by his parents. He never got a chance to call his parents mommy or daddy. If he did, he would be smacked senseless. He never got goodnight kisses, or tucked in at night. No one checked his closet and under the bed to make sure the monsters weren't there. No one was there to hug him tight as he left for his first day of school. No one was there to put Band-Aids on his cuts and scrapes. He was simply told that as a man, he would have to suck it up.

No one ever took care of him when he was sick. No one held him when he was scared. He never got toys for Christmas or birthdays. He never had his clothes laid out for him by his parents. No one to be chaperones on school field trips. He never got to believe in Santa.

He was never loved.

His missed _so many_ things. _So Many._ And no matter how hard he tried, he could never get those things. Not ever.

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><p>~Ruby~<p>

The boy was hiding in a tree in a nearby park, only blocks away from his house. He could hear his mother calling out to him, but he just pretended not to hear anything and closed his eyes.

He really wanted to go back to the "good times" when he was a child, but when he thought about it, there were never any "good times". Growing up, there wasn't a day that went by where his parents weren't at each other's throats.

He sometimes wondered what it would be like if his parents got along well, if they actually loved each other. He wondered what it would be like to have a loving family that supported him and his choices. If he wanted to participate in contests, he could participate in contests. If he wanted to stay in his hometown with his friends, then he'd stay in his hometown with his friends. And if he wanted to be happy, he could be happy.

But he knew such foolish things could only exist in his dreams so he should just stop bothering with it. And he continued to ignore the calls for him underneath the tree.

It's not like they actually cared about him. He doubted if anyone would care if he disappeared someday. Would they be happier?

Yes.

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><p>~Sapphire~<p>

It was around that time of year again, Easter, as her family called it. The most dreadful time of the year in her opinion. It was the one time of the year when she was forced to wear those frilly dresses. They were so itchy! She really loathed them.

However, the past couple of years, her parents had stopped bothering her about it.

Although she hated dressing up, deep down there was a part of her that missed it. It was only twice a year after all. Only at Christmas and Easter time. But that had stopped eventually. And for the past few years, something just felt like it was missing. She couldn't help but miss the younger years of her life, but she'd never admit that to anyone.

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><p>~Diamond~<p>

The boy blushed incredibly as him mom continued to go through his old photo albums of when he was a little kid.

"That day, you and Pearl were convinced that you were cowboys and Indians," his mother giggled while pointed at a picture in the left corner. "And that was when you dressed as a vampire for Halloween. You were so adorable!" she continued. Then she pointed to a picture of him in a superhero costume. "You were convinced that you could run super fast," she giggled, "and you wore your cape everywhere. It took a lot of effort to get you to change your clothes long enough for me to wash them!" The boy turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Oh! And in this picture, my poor baby was sick with pneumonia!" she said sadly as she flipped through the pages. "And here you got your new race car bed. You were so excited you couldn't sleep for a week," she continued.

"And there's your stuffed animal. You slept with him every night and if you couldn't find him, you refused to go to bed," she sniffled. Truth be told, the boy still slept with that stuffed animal. His father gave that to him. "And that day, your father took you to your first baseball game," she smiled, but he could tell how sad she was by the look in her eyes.

The boy left to get some tea and a blanket for his mother. When she dug out the photo albums there was no stopping her until she fell asleep. He came back to see his mom sleeping peacefully on the couch, with tear stains on her cheeks, but she had a big grin on her face. The boy smiled and gave his mother a kiss on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, mom," he whispered and then draped the blanket over her before going upstairs.

He began to wonder when the child began taking care of the parent. He assumed it was after his father passed away was when this all started, but he didn't mind much. Even when his mom dug out the old albums, he actually enjoyed it. She looked so happy looking at the old pictures; he couldn't help but smile himself.

But he couldn't help the little bit of pain he felt every time he saw a picture with his father in it. "I miss you, dad," he whispered before falling asleep himself.

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><p>~Pearl~<p>

The blonde haired boy lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He was thinking about everything, and that was never a good thing. He remembered a time when a bunch of kids called him stupid on a daily basis. Every time they said that, he would just smile. "Why are you smiling? You really are an idiot!" The words echoed through his head.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knocking sound on his door. "Pearl, dinner is ready," the voice said through the door. He got up from the floor and opened the door.

"Alright," he smiled brightly. "Why are you smiling?" 'Because I'm an idiot' he thought to himself, only smiling more until his cheeks began to hurt. "You really are an idiot!" 'I know' he nodded, his smile wavering, but only for a second.

The boy went downstairs to the dinner table, still smiling.

After dinner, the boy returned to his room. Lying in his bed, his real emotions began to show. His eyes glazed over and his smile disappeared. He looked at a single picture in a frame by his bed. It was of his best friend dressed up as a cowboy and him as an Indian. They were both smiling ear to ear. Dia had kool-aid stains on the corners of his mouth.

He touched the picture softly, wondering when his smiles had begun to get so fake.

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><p>~Platinum~<p>

The girl played a melancholy note on her violin, the sound pouring through the whole house and the note resonating within her ears. She played to the best of her abilities as her father watched attentively. She was naturally gifted at everything she did, a certified genius actually.

She had everything. She had intelligence, beauty, a kind family, wealth, everything. Ever since she was a child, she had everything handed to her; never having to struggle or earn anything before in her whole life.

But, there was one thing she never had. A mother. She knew she could be much worse off, but she still missed her.

She had never actually gotten to know her; her mother died when she was only two years old. She didn't remember anything that wasn't told to her, and things were rarely ever told to her. Her mother was one of the topics that no one spoke about. Ever.

Sometimes, she wondered what her mother was like. 'I bet she was very beautiful and kind' she thought to herself. She finished her song and bowed. Her father clapping loudly. "Bravo! Bravo!" he exclaimed. She blushed lightly out of embarrassment at his response.

Her father really was a wonderful man, but there were some things he just wasn't good at. He would never be able to give her advice on boys without threatening to have them killed. His fashion sense was terrible. And they would certainly never have "girl talk".

She was always jealous of the other children at her school when they made presents for their mothers for Mother's Day, but that was okay.

'It could be worse', she smiled to herself, 'much worse'. And her and her father went to have a pleasant conversation over lunch.

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><p>~Black~<p>

The boy stared out at the ground far below him. He was currently at the top of the Ferris wheel, alone. He remembered a man with green hair, whom he once called his best friend, but for some reason they just stopped being friends someday.

He knew there was a reason, but he refused to remember. The Ferris wheel started approaching the ground again. When the ride was finally over, he got out and soon left the park. The only thoughts on his mind were the green haired man and how lonely he felt.

He wanted a friend, but he knew they would never be talking again. He sometimes would stare at the sky at night and try to find shooting stars to wish on. Every time he saw one, he'd wish for the same thing, for them to be able to forgive each other like little kids who couldn't stay mad at each other.

But no matter how many shooting stars he came across, his wish never came true. He wondered how many stars it would take for his wish to come true.

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><p>~White~<p>

The woman slouched in her seat and smacked her head on her desk. She'd been barely getting any sleep for the past week while trying to write a script for the movie her boss wanted to direct. She'd been working herself to the point where she thought she'd collapse. She really missed when she was all play and no work, but in the adult world, it didn't work that way.

She began reminiscing her childhood and started smiling like an idiot. "That's it!" she exclaimed jumping out of her seat. She sat back down and began writing her script with the first good idea she'd had in a long time.

Feeling her eyelids get heavy, she finally fell asleep for the first time in three days.

Her boss barged into her room the next morning to find a finished script beneath the sleeping woman. "Wonders of the Younger?" she questioned. She delicately removed it and began reading through it, unable to stop soon after she began.

White awoke to find her boss sitting on her bed, surrounded by tissues and bawling her eyes out. "Oh my!" she exclaimed, "It's so sad!" she continued. "I miss my childhood!" she yelled.

"Huh?" White questioned.

Her boss stopped her sobs to look at her, stood up and…began hugging the living daylights out of the woman. "I-I-I…can't…breathe," the woman gasped.

"It's so beautiful!" her boss sobbed, continuing to hug the woman.

"I'm glad you liked it," the woman smiled.

"Liked it? I loved it!" the boss exclaimed. "We are making this into a major motion picture! Right away! This will win an award for sure! I just know it!" She yelled between her sobs.

The woman smiled at her job well done, feeling incredibly happy at her success, but sad at the same time. She missed her childhood as well, she thought as a single tear fell down her cheek.

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><p><strong>AN; So I think I might have just emotionally killed some people...I'm sorry, but I'm pretty proud of this. I hope you guys liked it! So feel free to review and favorite and such! You will make my day (more like the whole week!)**


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